1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to non-tea-based packaged beverages.
2. Background of the Invention
As effects of catechins, there have been reported a suppressing effect on an increase in cholesterol level and an inhibitory effect on α-amylase activity (see, for example, JP-A-60-156614 and JP-A-03-133928). For such physiological effects to occur, an adult is required to drink 4 to 5 cups of tea per day. Therefore, it is increasingly desired to develop a technology for adding catechins at a high concentration to beverages so that a large amount of catechins can be ingested more conveniently. As an instance of such methods, catechins are added in a dissolved form to a beverage by using a concentrate of a green tea extract (see, for example, JP-A-2002-142677, JP-A-8-298930 and JP-A-8-109178) or the like.
Meanwhile, there are other methods designed to make use of citric acid for beverages, such as the use of citric acid along with the addition of citric acid to aloe juice, as an organic acid for causing binding of nitrate ions, which are harmful to the health, on an anion exchange resin as a treatment in the technology of lowering the concentration of nitrate ions in plant juice and the use of citric acid as a pH regulator for green tea beverages and the like, and citric-acid-containing beverages with a green tea extract mixed therein (see, for example, JP-A-3-246226, JP-A-2000-354475, JP-A-5-168407, and JP-A-11-504224).